


Mistakes Like This

by lmontyy



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parenting, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Ellie - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Meeting the Parents, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, TLOU, The Last of Us - Freeform, Useless Lesbians, and ellie has to be a good gf, and get their approval, and now theyre in jackson, dina - Freeform, dina and ellie, dina x ellie, dinas parents kinda sucked, ellie and dina, ellie williams, ellie x dina, the last of us 2, the last of us part 2 - Freeform, the last of us part ii, the last of us part two, tlou 2, tlou part 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:15:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22839166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmontyy/pseuds/lmontyy
Summary: Dina's parents end up in Jackson as they spent months searching for her, but their relationship with their daughter is in shambles. As Dina tries to find it in herself to repair the relationship with her parents, Ellie sets out to gain their approval and prove to them that she is a capable girlfriend after they hear about her past violent reputation from the people of Jackson.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 275





	Mistakes Like This

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by the song "Mistakes Like This" by Prelow! Please give it a listen while you read!

The topic of Dina’s parents never really came up. Not frequently, at least. Dina was definitely more reserved when it came to her parents – she never spoke of them, she never mentioned them, and she didn’t care to. The few times that Ellie ever asked her, purely out of wonder, Dina’s responses were always cold and distant, almost as if she didn’t even like her parents. But Ellie didn’t know why, and she was convinced she never would know why.

But there was one night in particular where, in a drunken state of mind, Dina revealed some of the deep-rooted reasons she didn’t really care for the people who were supposed to have raised her. It took a while for her to crack, but it worked.

It was a hot night in the summer. They had been laying on the soft, green grass and marveling up at the starry night sky, admiring every twinkle and shimmer from the stars that beamed down on them from hundreds of millions of miles away. Surrounded by empty bottles and glasses, the sky was shifting and bright, the alcohol moving and toying with their vision. Their heads were together, both at each other’s sides, each of their bodies facing an opposite direction, constructing a V shape in the grass.

When she was younger, Ellie read up on the galaxies and space from comics, library books, and old school textbooks. Dina, on the other hand, was clueless about space. She had no clue where anything was – she didn’t even know there were more planets in the galaxy, let alone that there were nine of them in the Milky Way. She didn’t even know the name of their galaxy, and frankly, Ellie found that tragic. So, every once and a while, she would bring her outside and lay her down, and show her constellations, stars, and craters of the moon.

But eventually, they got tired of that, and the alcohol kicked in rapidly. And that landed them up in their room.

The two of them stumbled into their room, half tripping over each other, lips locked in a fierce, heated battle for dominance. But when Dina turned, back facing the bed, and pulled Ellie down with her as she hit the bed, it was clear she had let her win.

Dina’s hands raked up Ellie’s chest and found purchase on the sides of her neck. A small, breathy moan pushed past her lips, and hot breath sent shocks down Ellie’s spine when it touched her lips, arising goosebumps dappling her arms and making the hairs stand up to face the ceiling.

Ellie could hardly see straight – the alcohol had completely possessed her system, and all she could render was the pleasure shooting up and down her body at her girlfriend’s touches and ministrations. There was no warning for their sudden attack of lust, but she wasn’t complaining, not in the slightest. It was invigorating when Dina showed such outward want for her.

But there was a stir in Dina’s facial expressions and an off twinkle in her eye that sent a drunken but attentive Ellie into a spur of thought and wonder. Something wasn’t right with her, and she couldn’t tell if she was rushing into sex for comfort, for safety, or to forget whatever it was that was on her mind.

Just as Dina’s hands angrily found the buttons on Ellie’s shirt and immediately started to undo them, the urge to stop and figure out what was racing through her mind ate away just too much at her. With a reach of her hand, she grabbed the wrist of her girlfriend, who was trying to fight against her strength to reach the buttons once more. She wouldn’t look Ellie in the eyes – her eyes were irked and zoned in on the buttons, her wrist combating her hand.

“Dina,” Ellie breathed in her calm, soothing voice that was enough to cause hesitation in Dina’s wrist muscles, and Ellie felt it against her palm. There was a sudden weakness, the feeling of Dina’s body giving up the fight, and sure enough, she slumped back against the bed, letting her hands fall to the sides of her head against the comforter.

The girl beneath her sighed, conveying her defeat. Ellie just stared down at her gently, trying her hardest to analyze her, even in her impaired state.

“What’s wrong?” She asked without hesitation, prompting Dina to turn away slightly in automatic response.

The softness of her voice was just convincing enough for her. With another sigh, Dina crossed her arms over her ribcage, still looking up at the girl who was standing over her, hands propping her up beside Dina’s hands at both sides of her head, legs planted on the floor.

“Nothing, I just…” Dina was reluctant to say anything, but the drive to talk about it to the girl with the gentlest eyes she’d ever seen was overpowering. Ellie’s eyes and concerned face were just too much for her, and the dam broke.

“I hate my parents,” she muttered, her words just coming out as slurs thanks to the alcohol in her system. “I hate them for everything they did and said.”

Ellie was careful – she didn’t want to push too far past Dina’s boundaries. “What did they do, D?”

Once again, a hesitant look crawled up on Dina’s face. Clearly this had been a rooted issue she just kept under to avoid thinking about. “It’s just… they left, El. They left when they were barely even there. In Portland, when they were supposed to be looking after me, they just went off to steal and be these big, dramatized, heroic vigilantes fighting for more ration cards and kicking the asses of the military every day and night,” she exaggerated her statements with disdain. “What a joke.”

Ellie decided to skip the intimacy for that night. Climbing up off of her, she stood above her for seconds, watching her stare up at the ceiling motionlessly, opting to take a seat next to her and look down at her as she talked.

“They thought that by making the zone a better place, they would be heroes, and they would save everybody who was starving,” she scoffed, blowing air in irritation. “They sure as hell weren’t my heroes. I starved anyway.”

She reached for the girl’s hand. Dina squeezed it with assurance.

“Everyone looked up to them,” she continued, eyes glued to the ceiling, her tone and face reading disappointment. “But I didn’t. I hated them for how I was always put on the backburner; it was like they forgot about me most of the time. Here I was, this little girl, hungry as all hell, with parents that were too busy feeding their friends to feed their daughter.”

A frown plastered on Ellie’s face at the idea of a young Dina growing up in a condition like the terrible one she described. For the first time, she was hearing the story, and she couldn’t have been happier that Dina was sharing it with her. Even if she was just drunk.

“Where do you think I got so good at shooting?” It was rhetorical. “I had to shoot mice and rats with BBs or pellets or shitty arrows to eat. My friends and I would haggle for cards or try and buy meat and cans off of people. I grew up as poor as poor gets, while my parents were off playing superhero.”

For a moment, in the moonlight, it almost seemed like Dina started to cry.

“When I was, like, twelve, it seemed like they finally started giving a shit, right. They finally started coming around. They came home with a ration card or two and handed it off to me while they ate like pigs with their friends after robbing the kitchens and the storehouses and the docks. They were saving the day, all the time, and they finally come home to me.” She sniffled. “And I thought they were understanding. They were barely in my life, they were always around other people, so I thought I could trust them with the fact that I liked boys _and girls._ ”

“Oh, man,” Ellie breathed out a small chuckle, waiting for the impending blast to happen in her story.

“Wanna know what they said?” She asked, eyes narrowing, dark like storm clouds. “They were all like: ‘Oh, no, honey, you’re just confused’,” her tone was mocking and cruel. “They said: ‘Just don’t talk about it, okay? This isn’t you, it’s just what happens when you become an adult’.”

Ellie sucked a harsh breath in through her teeth. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Like, how would you even know, you know? You don’t know me. You haven’t been in my life. You weren’t there. You have no idea who I am.” The growls rising in her throat were off putting. It was very unlike Dina to visibly be angry or uncomfortable in that manner. “I left when I was thirteen. I traveled with a group of my older friends, and they dropped me off here. They were travelers that knew Tommy. They figured this was the best place to be. They weren’t wrong, really, because you came a year later.”

Her tone was sweet, gentle, and genuine. It nearly broke Ellie’s heart.

“Listen,” Dina sighed, her anger subsiding. “I love my parents for being my parents. And in the end, despite how little they came around, I know they loved me. And I’m sure if they knew me now, they would take back what they said, and they would try and fix everything. I forgive them deep down – I know they were just trying to make life easier for everyone. I’m just mad, I don’t know.” She sat up, slumped over.

“I get it, D,” Ellie’s hand found purchase on her back, and rubbed with as much comfort as she could muster. “That’s rough, I’m sorry.”

Dina let herself fall over, head landing gently against Ellie’s shoulder and in the crook of her neck. Her arms wrapped around a thin waist, bringing Ellie closer to her. Ellie never wanted her to let go.

“It’s okay, honestly. I don’t care as much as I used to,” she reassured. “I just get mad sometimes.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Silence fell over them for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say next, but Dina’s illogical drunkenness butt in the next second.

“I’ve got a headache,” she admitted with a whine. She nuzzled further into Ellie’s neck. “Can we go to bed?”

“Of course, love,” Ellie breathed with a smile.

Sweet lips pressed against her freckled forehead. Before she knew it, Dina was pressed back against the blankets and making her way under the covers, motioning to Ellie to join her. Without hesitation, Ellie crawled up and under the blankets with her. She felt a pair of arms and legs wrap around her body like a sloth hugging a tree. It was typical of Dina to grab her the moment she got underneath.

She was so adorably clingy sometimes.

***

Months passed following their drunken conversation. No other words about her parents were exchanged between them. Everything went on as normal, but it was still a lot more comfortable now that the air had been cleared. Both of them felt a lot more at ease now that it was out in the open and Dina hadn’t been making it a point to try and hide it. Ellie handled it just as she should’ve – she kept quiet about it. She didn’t push or press the subject. She just let it be. She did her best not to make things any worse, or make the feelings any harder.

All those months had passed, but their peace didn’t last very long.

A group of strangers were gathered in the Jackson County woods one morning in late October. They had been camping out in the woods for some time, maybe in search of Jackson. No one knew their motives until they were brought into the settlement with ropes tying their hands and all of their weapons in a bag tied to the back of a horse.

Ellie and Dina were on guard duty at the gate that day.

They gave the signal to open the gates.

When they got down to the ground, they were ready with their guns to protect the rest of the people interrogating them as they waited for Tommy to come down with his men.

That’s when Ellie watched Dina’s face strike with horror.

“Dad?” She exclaimed in disbelief.

Ellie’s head swung around to where Dina’s eyes were lasered. Her eyes connected with a tall, brooding man with a moustache and beard, long brown hair, and a wide build. His stomach poked out slightly through his unbuttoned, ragged navy jacket and gray shirt. His face was tanned, much like Dina’s, and his eyes were a light brown. He seemed just as taken aback as Dina was.

“Dina?” There was no word to describe the shock on that stoic man’s face when he realized who the girl standing feet away from her was.

A woman pushed past the small group. She was short, about Dina’s height, dark curled hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her face was completely marked with freckles and birth marks, as was her neck. Her eyebrows were thicker and arched, her nose small but perky, eyes strikingly familiar, murky and dark.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, eyes wide.

Dina was flabbergasted – Ellie had never seen such a look on her face. _“Mom?”_

Their hands were tied; they couldn’t reach her even if they wanted. Ellie watched in astonishment – never had she expected to ever see them, nor meet them like that. Their hands tied, Dina and Ellie holding guns ready to shoot them. They didn’t even know who she was, or the role she played in her life. They didn’t even notice her. The only thing they were looking at was Dina.

But Dina was just in shock. Ellie couldn’t read the horrified emotion written across her beautiful face.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

***

After more community interrogation, they ultimately decided to let the group out of their ropes. Dina’s parents had been out looking for her after the quarantine zone in Portland got overrun, and with word from the same friends that delivered her there, they spent months tracking down the exact location. It fell almost immediately due to the lack of military reinforcement and protection. Over half the zone population was lost. Dina’s parents and their group were among the few that made it out.

“Where are you taking us, exactly?” Her father’s deep voice sounded from behind them.

Ellie and Dina had decided that, until they qualify for their own shelter and they are placed into work, they would just house them. Leading them to the house was awkward and anxiety-inducing, as, for the most part, it was silent. Finally, her father had started to make conversation.

Dina was the one to answer, saving Ellie the awkward encounter.

“Our house,” Dina said shortly, coldly.

“ _Our_ house?” He repeated. “You and your friend?”

The sour taste on the back of Ellie’s tongue made her face grimace and wince. She shot a side-eye at her girlfriend walking beside her, only to be met with the predictable scowl of disgust and anger.

“Yes, my _friend,”_ she responded through nearly closed, gritted teeth. “Speaking of which!” She stopped them all dead in the street, just a block down from their house. A hand found its way on Ellie’s back, and before she knew it, she was being forcibly turned to face the strangers behind her. They looked at her in wonder. “This is my _girlfriend,_ Ellie. Ellie, these are my parents.” She greeted with such a faux cheerfulness that it was physically hurtful.

“Girlfriend?” Her father’s eyebrows shot up his head. Her mother watched her with those all-too familiar eyes, examining her curiously.

Ellie stood there awkwardly, her lanky figure making her taller than her mother. Her skinny arms were fallen at her sides, shoulders shrugged slightly with discomfort. Her eyes were wide and frantic, watching both Dina and the two judging figures in front of her.

After the most painfully awkward moment of silence, Dina’s father outstretched his hand. Ellie stared at his large, calloused hand in awe as his act of kindness took her aback.

“Ellie,” he welcomed. With a moment of reluctance, she stared, until she snapped out of her gaze and took his hand firmly, unwilling to be taken for a frail girl. He twitched at the secure handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Same to you,” she responded, fighting the nervousness that surfaced at addressing Dina’s father, of all people.

“Please,” He backed off, gesturing to himself, then Dina’s mother. “You can call me Abel. And this is my wife, Jordana.”

Ellie reached out to take her mother’s hand, leaning down just slightly to match the height of her arm. Her mother didn’t take her hand, though. Instead, she took a hold of her wrist and tugged forward, their bodies meeting with force as two arms wrapped around her waist. Ellie, shocked, took a moment to respond. But, hesitantly, she brought her arms up to hug her back.

When she came back to Dina’s side, Dina had been watching in complete wonderment. She had been astonished at her parents’ welcoming nature towards Ellie.

“Come on,” she demanded, snapping out of it. She turned coldly. “Let’s get a move on.”

It was the first time Ellie had seen her like that. Her parents followed obediently while Ellie went to walk with Dina. When she caught up to her and shot her a glance, she could see the bolstering smile plastered across her face, hidden away from everyone, and red cheeks glowing with excitement.

***

When they got home, they put their bags down and basically took off. Abel and Jordana went out to “explore” around Jackson. They barely took a look around the house before they were back out the door. Ellie wasn’t even sure if they knew the address; what street, or what block it was on.

“How are we gonna work out this sleeping situation?” Ellie asked Dina curiously.

Placing a stressed hand on her forehead and looking at the bags in disdain, she turned to her girlfriend with a strained look on her face.

“I don’t know, babe,” she sighed, exasperated. “I wasn’t expecting this, like, at all.” She couldn’t suppress the laugh that rumbled in her throat. 

“You don’t know?” Ellie responded with an amused grin, her teeth pushing just behind those lips.

“No, baby,” she started closer, arms hanging before she brought them up and wrapped them around Ellie’s neck, elbows resting on shoulders. “I really don’t know.”

“Okay, well, we have that extra room, it’s just that the bed is a single bed. They can take that room, though, since it’s only for the week?” Ellie suggested. “Or, better yet, I’ll sleep on the couch, and you can take that bed. They can have our room for the week.”

“No,” she immediately shot down the idea. “No, they can take the couches or that room. It’s fine.”

Ellie gave her a puzzled look. “I don’t mind taking the couch.”

Dina shook her head instantly, cutting her off. “No, I mind you taking the couch.” She combated, almost childishly the way she whined, and the pout she gave.

A laugh passed her lips. “Why, babe?” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her nose, which was just mere inches away from hers.

“Because,” she insisted. “They can take whichever.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Why?” She demanded with a smile. She loved when Dina embraced her like this.

“Because, Ellie. You have a right to sleep in your own fucking bed. Plus, I want you with me,” Dina hugged her closer, squeezing them tight for a few seconds before letting go with a sigh through her nose. “I’ll miss you.”

Another roll of her eyes, but she was reeling. “I guess,” she muttered.

“Besides,” Dina pulled back to look at her, dark pools dropping with seduction. Her smirk was sharp and familiar. A gentle finger ran along the edge of her jawline, slowly. She was so tantalizing and addicting sometimes. “I like when you’re with me in bed.”

“As if I’d be with anyone else?” An eyebrow shot up on Ellie’s forehead, the smirk being returned.

“Oh, now I know you wouldn’t do that,” Dina purred with a tug of her girlfriend’s arms toward the hallway. “You’re smarter than that.” Within seconds, she was being led down the hall and toward the bedroom. Their bedroom. “You know damn well that if you were in bed with anyone else…” Dina opened the door, brought them in, and slammed it shut. “… You’d be dead.”

***

Their night without Dina’s parents present was eventful, to say the least.

They didn’t know when they were coming back; didn’t know whether or not to start dinner, or wait for them, or just go about their business like they didn’t even matter in the first place.

Ellie didn’t know. All she knew is that the feeling of the hot water against her back soothed her scratches and put her dizzied head at ease. She didn’t take long – she knew that if her parents had come back, she would want to be around to make a good impression on them.

Turning the valve and stepping out, she wrapped a soft towel around herself and dried her hair with a towel. Her hair was messy and drying rapidly, so she was quick to brush it out and leave some fancy conditioner Joel had gifted her for the holidays the year before in it. She smelled of coconut and lavender and every pretty scent you could think of.

Just as she was washing her face and preparing her toothbrush, she heard a loud entrance from the front door. Glancing down at her watch on the wet counter beside the sink, she read ‘9:13pm’.

“Hi, Mom,” Dina greeted rather calmly. “Hi, Dad.”

Ellie could hear everything through the thin walls and door. Just Dina’s voice alone made her smile without relent.

“Honey, we should probably talk,” Her mom’s voice was anxious, frantic.

“Where’s your friend?” Abel’s voice came immediately after hers.

“Ellie,” Dina corrected. She could hear the irritation through the tiles.

“Ellie,” Abel repeated with an exasperated tone, but not before taking a few seconds of silence to presumably stare at her with ignorance, from what Ellie could gather. She had her ear pressed to the wood then, eagerly awaiting the conversation strictly held without her known presence. _This should be interesting._

“Look, none of it matters,” he dismissed quickly, despite noises of protest from Dina, who was trying to speak but cut off by his actions and words. There was shuffling around and he just continued. “Listen, honey.” He began with a long sigh out of his nose.

“We heard some… interesting things…” Jordana’s voice cut him off. “… about Ellie.”

The alerts were going off on her head, but they could hardly match the outraged shock at their words. Her eyes widened and her nails scraped into the wood.

“Interesting things?” Dina sounded dumbfounded. “What interesting things?” She demanded then, fiercely and without hesitation.

“Just about… her reputation,” Abel’s delay was painful. “She gets into a lot of fights?”

Dina’s voice was frantic and insulted. “What? Fights? She _used_ to. Not so much anymore… What is this about?” She hardened once more, the ordering tone hardly fazing her parents.

“Nothing, baby,” Jordana reassured. “We’re just worried.”

“Worried about what, exactly?” Dina urged, irked by the rush of conversation.

Abel sighed curtly, interrupting. “You, Dina. And… this girl.”

“Stop calling her _‘this girl’,”_ she demanded forcefully. “Call her by her name or call her my girlfriend, whichever you damn well please, but stop walking on eggshells around it.” Her bluntness was always attractive.

“Fine,” he grumbled with disregard. “Listen, I’m just going to be straightforward here. We were getting to know some of the folks around here, and we… asked around.”

“About _what?”_ Dina was angry then.

“About you, about how you’ve been, and about Ellie,” he answered stoically. It was infuriating how calm they were about it all.

“What _about_ Ellie?”

“What she’s like, how she behaves, her manners,” Abel was so patronizing that it hurt. “How she acts with others.” He emphasized that last statement a little too much for Ellie’s liking at that moment. “We just didn’t hear very positive things.”

Jordana cut him off again. “She’s rough and rowdy and ruthless. She’s a fighter and she’s practically merciless.”

“She’s one of Jackson’s best fighters,” Dina corrected defensively.

“And that makes her innocent?” Her father asked.

“Ellie has only ever killed people or ‘been violent’–” Her tone was painfully mocking. “– if someone was in danger. Usually that someone is me, you realize. We’re in the apocalypse, did you forget?”

“This Ellie girl is dangerous, Dina,” he argued. “You shouldn’t be around someone menacing and violent and rageful.”

There was a pause as Dina processed the words being told to her. She scoffed with outrage before she began yelling back. “You know, I don’t really know what gives you the right to tell me who you think I should date and who I shouldn’t. You’ve been here for how long, exactly? Maybe eight, nine hours? I’ve been here for six years, almost seven. I’ve known Ellie for nearly just as long. You think you can randomly come back one day after not giving a shit about me for nineteen years and start ruling my life now?”

“Dina,” her father cut her off sternly. “No one’s trying to rule your life.”

Jordana butt in then. “We’re only here to help–”

“No, you’re not,” Ellie could hear the ferocity in her voice. She had never heard Dina at such an angry volume. “This is the only kind of care or guideship you’ve literally ever given me. The entire time in Portland, you didn’t give a shit where I was or what I was doing. I left when I was thirteen. It took you two _this long_ to come looking for me. Don’t try and hide behind the excuse that you care now, because it’s clear as day that you fucking don’t.”

“Watch yourself,” Abel warned.

“There is so much you don’t know about me,” she continued, furiously. “There is so much you don’t know about me or my life, my girlfriend, or how I operate on my own. I don’t need you. I don’t need you to tell me what to do, or who to date. I needed you before, not now. I’m an adult now, I’ve got my own life now.”

“We did what we had to do for our people,” Jordana insisted, her tone rising alongside Dina’s. “They needed us, they looked to us for help.”

“I’m your _daughter,”_ Dina’s voice was straining. _“I_ needed you. I looked to you for help, as my parents. You were too busy worrying about literally anyone else but me. So, don’t try and play Mommy and Daddy now, it’s pathetic.”

Abel interrupted incandescently. “What’s done is done. We were serving our community. We’re sorry we couldn’t be there for you all of those years, but we’re trying to be here for you now.”

“Well, you know what, Dad?” Dina’s voice broke. “It’s a little too late for that.”

Ellie heard her turn and stomp down the hall. The footsteps came crashing down and right past the door before their bedroom door squeaked open and slammed shut. Ellie winced as it echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls and right through the bathroom door.

It seemed as though they were staying in their bedroom after all.

***

Ellie couldn’t lie: she was pissed off. Where exactly had they gotten all of this horrible information about her? She wasn’t even sure she’d ever know. She was angry that they’d felt the need to even confront Dina about it. While she did understand some of what they were saying, she was definitely more on Dina’s side.

But she had a revelation before falling asleep the night before. The only way to gain their approval and make life easier for everyone is if she killed them with kindness. Instead of being angry and vengeful and barely speaking to them, she would be happy and nice and go out of her way for them. Normally, there was no one besides Dina that she would go the extra mile for like that. She didn’t want to seem like some pushover, or a softie, or anything close to sweet. But staying angry at them would just prove them right – it would strengthen their beliefs about her which were oddly mistaken.

So, that’s exactly what she planned to do.

She hadn’t relayed this plan to Dina, and she didn’t plan to. She actually planned to try and help Dina rebuild the relationship with her parents. If her parents were gonna be around, and they were gonna stay local in Jackson, it wasn’t good for anyone to be on bad terms. She was okay with playing peacemaker for a little while, if it meant Dina would be happier.

Dina was still fast asleep under the covers, facing away from Ellie, despite having curled herself around Ellie to cry herself to sleep against her girlfriend. Thanks to Ellie’s presence, she was able to comfort her and calm her down enough to get her to finally drift away.

Tossing the covers toward Dina, she brought her legs around over the side of the bed and planted them into the floor, lifting herself up. She stretched her arms and back, her blue shirt following the edges of her muscles and skin. The air was chilly in their room, prompting Ellie to change out of her blue t-shirt and into a long-sleeved maroon one that she got to purposely match Dina nearly a year prior. Despite Dina’s shirt being much more feminine and V-necked compared to Ellie’s – who wore a men’s crewneck – she was still pleasantly surprised.

When she came out of the room, she opened the door slowly not to wake anyone up. She stepped out into the living room to see Abel fast asleep on the long couch, and the loveseat tossed with blankets and pillows, but empty. Jordana had been up already, and when Ellie heard the clanging of pots and pans coming from their kitchen, she was able to track her down.

Peeking her head into the kitchen, Jordana was rushing around the kitchen, a pan steaming on the stove, and the smell of bacon overrunning Ellie’s senses. When she turned to wash a plate at the island sink, she noticed Ellie right away.

“Oh, good morning, Ellie,” she greeted with a smile. Had she not heard every word she and her husband said the night before, Ellie never would’ve doubted her welcoming nature.

“Good morning,” she responded back, a sense of cheer flooded in her voice. She was very much prepared to show them that she wasn’t the monster they thought she was. “How did you sleep?” She asked. It was so beyond her character.

“As well as you’d expect someone who slept on a couch,” she joked lightheartedly. “But otherwise, better than I’ve slept in quite some time.”

Ellie took a seat on one of the stools by the island, resting her elbows and forearms on the marble and interlocking her fingers, leaning forward comfortably. Jordana was busy scrambling around getting what seemed to be a large breakfast ready.

“Well, I’m sure. How long were you out of Portland for?” Ellie was never good at conversation. But she was surprisingly good at faking it sometimes.

“The zone got overrun about a month, maybe a month and a half ago,” she answered kindly. “Me and Abel and the other survivors made a break for it. There was no beating the crazy mob of infected that stormed the walls. We were practically defenseless. So, we just ran.”

Ellie’s eyebrows bounced. “That must’ve been scary.”

“Oh, it was, dear,” she assured. “I watched a vast majority of my close friends and neighbors get torn to shreds. Now, I’m not looking for pity or anything. I’m not looking for you to think of me as a poor old woman.” She laughed gently. It was so much like Dina’s that it ached in her chest. “But Abel and I only ever tried to help our community, you know?” Ellie nodded in understanding. “Watching them all die was rough. But it was a new beginning. It was a cold, hard reminder that life can change in seconds, and it can be devastating. Just like when Dina left – we got no warning.”

“She told me a little about what happened,” Ellie interrupted before Jordana got the chance to continue, warning her of her knowledge of the truth before she said anything she would regret.

Jordana almost seemed disappointed, but Ellie just assumed she read her expression wrong. “Yeah, I’m sure she did,” she said with a sigh. “She’s angry at us. She wishes we had been there for her more. We were off trying to help the community; we failed to help our own daughter. And in the end, what was the point? All of those people died anyway.” She lamented, striking upon Ellie’s emotions like a match dropping into dry wood.

Ellie was taken aback by Jordana’s confession. And why to her? They just met briefly the day before. And on top of that, she and her husband weren’t her biggest fans due to all of the supposed “negative things” they heard about her from around the community. Ellie took it as a form of trying to bring herself to trust Ellie.

“Abel and I made a big mistake,” Jordana admitted. “We messed up and it cost us our daughter. Believe me, it keeps Abel up at night sometimes. It keeps me up with him.”

“No offense, Jordana,” Ellie cut her off curtly. “But you can’t expect Dina to just see you and forget everything that happened in Portland.”

Jordana was just silent. What was she to say to that?

“She only opened up about it a few months ago,” Ellie was honest with her to the fullest extent. “If I hadn’t asked, she wouldn’t even have told me anything. She’s always been very quiet about it.”

“I wish I could apologize and she would know that I mean it,” Jordana lamented. “I probably shouldn’t even be telling you all this–” a nervous chuckle escaped past her lops. “– Abel is very… untrusting… of strangers.”

Ellie furrowed her brows. “I’m no stranger, though. I’ve been in Dina’s life for six years, Jordana. She barely had anyone else but me, her friends, and Joel, my dad.” It was weird calling Joel “dad” to someone who didn’t know him. She only ever called him Joel, to his face, to others in the community, so much so that she forgot she was supposed to refer to him as her guardian. Something about calling him “dad” spiked a warmth through her body and lit butterfly wings in her stomach.

“My parents were gone, too,” Ellie continued, a yearning for understanding and responsibility from Jordana leaking into her voice. “If I didn’t have Joel, if he hadn’t helped me all across the country to get here, I would’ve been stuck in a quarantine zone which, honestly, is probably in the state yours is in right now. I needed his support. Without it, I felt lost. When he was injured or away, I felt more alone than ever. Kids need their parents, especially now, in a setting like this.”

Jordana was silent once again. Ellie had wanted to scream it at her, wanted to hammer it into her head that Dina was hurt because of them, and they didn’t seem to care, not for years, not ever. She was angry at them for that reason. But she quickly realized her stoic demeanor and her outwardly civil attitude was much more harrowing than any kind of screaming and yelling ever was.

“No, you’re right,” she sighed with utmost defeat. “You’re right, Ellie. We were selfless for our people but selfish to our daughter. Believe me, I’ve come to terms with it.”

Ellie found it in herself to remain calm and collected during her conversation with Jordana. As angry as she was, she knew the anger would solve nothing, and could make things worse for Dina, let alone make them think any less of her than they already did.

“I do believe you,” she said softly. “But you gotta understand, it’s gonna take a while for Dina to come to terms with that fact that you’re back and are trying to make things right.”

When the silence fell over again, it was much more comfortable. The air didn’t seem as tight and compressing as it had just mere moments ago. There was an accepting attitude that seemed to encompass them both.

Quickly, Ellie stood then, taking one of the pans off the counter and placing it beside another that was sizzling with batter on the stove, a perfect pancake ready to be flipped. She turned the dial on the stove to begin heating her own pan up while reaching for the spatula Jordana had left beside it on the counter as she went to talk to Ellie. Taking the spatula, she nudged it underneath the pancake and gently flipped it. It was a little brown, especially around the edges, as it had been sitting there for a while, but it was manageable.

Jordana just watched her with surprise as she poured batter into her own pan, which began to steam and sizzle satisfyingly, leaving a wonderfully sweet scent in the air. Ellie turned to see the wonder on the woman’s face, and she just gave her the friendliest grin she could muster as she turned back to continue cooking.

She quickly caught on and went to prepare more batter as Ellie manned the stove. Keeping an eye on both pancakes, flipping them gently back and forth until they were perfect enough to put onto the platter that sent empty, in wait. With the help of each other, they silently tore through making the pancakes and eggs, the comfortableness of the setting around them sparking a consistent smile on Jordana’s face, one she tried to hide, but Ellie caught it every time she turned around.

***

“What’s this?” Dina was astonished when she stepped into the kitchen, taking in the delicious smell of a large breakfast.

Plates sat empty on the table, forks, knives, and glasses of water adjacent to one another. In the center of the table was a big platter of perfectly cooked pancakes with crispy edges, a plate of beautifully colored scrambled eggs, and a fruit platter of grapes, oranges, bananas, and a few pears.

“Breakfast,” Ellie shot stupidly, playfully, at her girlfriend. “Duh.”

Dina rolled her eyes and shot her an unamused look before Jordana interfered.

“Ellie helped me make breakfast for everyone,” the pride that tinted her words filled Ellie with a fluttering feeling – the approval she sought from Dina’s parents was finally coming to light.

Dina’s eyebrows rose to the middle of her forehead – she was in shock. “Ellie helped you?” The words fell disbelievingly from her lips.

“Yes, ma’am,” she exaggerated, walking over to fall behind her girlfriend, placing her strong hands against soft shoulders, leading her over to the table and pulling her chair out for her. Dina sat gingerly, eyes glaring into Ellie but a smile betrayed her. “Your meal is served, my lady.”

The smile that was sewed into Dina’s lips only grew as she admired the plates of food on the table, the realization of comradery between her mother and her girlfriend setting in on her. Ellie and her mother had made this whole thing together. They had worked together to make a whole breakfast for everyone, and they played nice with one another long enough that it stuck.

“This is… awesome, guys,” she was in awe. Turning to her mom and Ellie both, she smiled sweetly at them. “Thank you.”

“Of course, honey,” Jordana’s voice was thick with relief and satisfaction.

It was almost as if their argument from the night before had never happened, or it was long forgotten. The surprise had taken Dina so far back, she must’ve entirely dropped her anger and replaced it with gratitude and cheerfulness at the repairing relationship, and the growing one between her parents and Ellie.

“Where’s Dad?” Dina asked then, taking a fork in her hand and reaching out to take a pancake for herself.

“Right here,” Abel emerged at the door, flannel thrown over his shoulder, a short sleeve shirt clad against him, tucked under a sturdy belt and jeans. “What’s all this about?” He seemed amused as he eyed the mess on the counters and the pots and pans piling out of the sink, only for his eyes to fall on Dina sitting at the table.

“We made breakfast,” Jordana answered joyfully. “Ellie and I made pancakes and eggs and we have fruit. Sit down, dear, help yourself.”

Chuckling, he reached to pull out a seat at the head of the table, just next to Dina. “Don’t mind if I do.”

“Go sit, Ellie,” she insisted. “I’ll clean up some of the mess and come join you guys.”

“No, it’s okay, let me help,” Ellie offered stubbornly with a protest.

“You’re sweet, but please, go sit. You’ve done quite enough as it is.”

With a sag of her shoulders in defeat, she gently sat herself next to Dina at the table. Dina was quick to lean over and place a sweet, grateful kiss to Ellie’s lips. “Thank you.” She whispered lovably. Returning to her upright position in her seat, she eyed the back of her mother’s frame before saying: “Thank you, Mom.”

Ellie watched Jordana’s figure freeze suddenly, until a moment later where she turned her head with the most gratifying expression.

“You’re welcome, love.”

***

That same morning, after breakfast, while Jordana and Dina stayed in the kitchen to finish washing up the aftermath of the meal, Ellie sought to find Abel, who left early from the table to head to the backyard.

When she stepped out of the glass sliding door onto the patio, dressed in a buttoned up gray flannel, jeans, and sneakers, she found Abel had completely dismantled the entirety of their grill.

“What, did you burn yourself or something?” Ellie joked in a deadpan, implying that he’d destroyed the grill out of anger.

He chuckled amusedly at her playfulness with him. “No, no. You know this was broken, right?”

“I didn’t realize we had an appliance inspector coming in. I would’ve dressed a little nicer.”

A laugh escaped his lips. “You’re funny, Ellie.” His words were sweet and bright. “This grill, not only did it suck, but it was broken. I figured I’d help you guys out a little and fix it.”

“You realize it’s summer, right?” Ellie challenged.

“Well, yeah,” Abel hesitated kindly. “Doesn’t hurt to fix it now, though.” He began unscrewing the wheels from the bottom.

Ellie kneeled down beside him with groan through her nose. She reached over for the smaller, spare screwdriver without saying a word, and began to unscrew the wheels from the opposite side.

“You handy, Ellie?” He asked hastily, taking notice of how she handled the screwdriver and how quick she was to help. His voice was laced with amusement and wonder.

“Yeah, I know my parts,” she answered simply, eyes never leaving the screw as she continued to rotate the tool and bring it out from its holding place.

He hummed with approval, turning his attention back to his own screws. A similar comfortable silence that fell over Ellie and Jordana fell over Ellie and Abel. Everything was comforting and reassuring. Something about working on parts and machines and fixing things and being “handy”, as he called it, with Dina’s father was just a feeling she’d never experienced before. It was approval, one she’d sought for a very long time.

“I hear, uh…” his hesitant voice breaks the silence. “… I hear you’re quite the fighter, huh?”

Her blood ran icy for a moment, remembering all of the things he and Jordana had said to poor Dina the night before regarding her attitude and her reputation. But she quickly remembered her technique of fighting against that. Taking a silent deep breath, she regained her composure from her sudden onset of panic.

Ellie scoffed. “I don’t like to brag.”

He titters then, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a large hand. “You don’t have to worry about bragging with me,” he said, his tone so convincing and comforting. “I don’t mind a little showing off every once and a while.”

Ellie’s only response was an amused grin.

“No, but really,” Abel pressed. “You’re a good fighter?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You go out on a lot of patrols?”

“Yes, sir,” she repeated acquiescently.

He hummed again. “You have to understand,” he urged calmly. “As a father, I only want the best for my daughter. I’m sure you understand that. You have a father of your own, yes?”

“I guess you could call him that.”

“Would he not go to the ends of the Earth, shooting down whoever is in his way just to get to you? Make sure you’re safe and sound?” These questions rang all too familiarly in her head and ears.

“Of course.”

“People say things,” his voice was almost lecturing. “Some things are true, some aren’t. But if what I’ve heard about you from the folks around here is true, then we won’t be having any problems.”

Ellie’s confusion was evident in her silence alone. “How do you mean?”

“Well, Jordana and I heard some interesting things about you,” he confessed lightheartedly. But he was honest, and it stunned Ellie. “I’ll be truthful, some of them were good, some were concerning.”

She scoffed again. “People are scared of me around here,” she stated bluntly. “I don’t really take a lot of shit and I do what I have to do to protect myself and others. Growing up traveling and without a home or a safe place taught me that. Plain and simple, I’m a fighter.”

Abel interrupted reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I admire that about a person. I truly do. My wife, while she’s peaceful and loving, she gets shit done and done fast. I’m not one to shy away from what I have to do, either. It’s a very admirable strength, and believe me, I have absolutely no issue with it.”

“But you said there was bad stuff you heard?”

“Violent nature can be alarming to anyone,” he answered wisely. “But if the violence isn’t used for malice, or for anger and revenge, then there is no need to be alarmed. If you’re using your skill in fighting and combat to protect yourself, your friends, and my daughter, then what do I have to be worried about? Trust is important nowadays.”

“I guess so,” Ellie played into his words, intrigue rising in the back of her mind as she focused her attention. “I’ve only ever turned into this big monster everyone brags about when someone was out to hurt someone I love.”

“Fear or the threat of harm to someone we love and care for is an awakening and a direct stimulus for a violent or protective reaction.”

“I don’t want you to be concerned about me,” Ellie admitted. “I’ve never hurt Dina.”

At the back of Ellie’s mind, there was the nagging thought that repeated: _Who gives you the right to judge me or anyone else for being in your daughter’s life when you haven’t been there since she was born? When she needed you?_ That anger that had been threatening to erupt successfully stayed put.

Abel’s voice was soft, yet firm. “I believe you, Ellie. I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot.” The sound of the tools working as he spoke had halted, and she heard the shuffling of fabric as she came to his knees. Instantly, Ellie had stopped screwing and looked towards him for clarity. “I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us. I’m an honest man, and I can tell you honestly that I am reasonable, despite my paranoia. But who doesn’t have paranoia nowadays?” He placed a large hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Thank you for your help on the grill.” He flashed her the sweetest smile she’d ever seen on any grown man.

Ellie tried to swallow it, but it was impossible. The same smile formed right back on her lips. “No problem.”

***

The rest of the day went on as normal. Jordana and Abel stayed around the house to do chores. Jordana made a delicious sandwich lunch while Abel and Ellie successfully restored the starter on the grill and replaced the valve regulators underneath in the box.

It was almost as if the argument had never happened between Dina and her parents. By the end of the day, Dina and Jordana had been much closer, been talking, chatting about how everything had changed and indulging in deep conversations about their goals and motives. It was heartwarming to listen to, Ellie concluded, as she couldn’t help but eavesdrop as they teased each other over lunch.

When Abel came in to brag about how he and Ellie had completely fixed their grill, Dina’s face lit up again, similarly to the hours that came before when she walked into the kitchen to find Ellie and her mother. Watching Dina’s face brighten and seeing that perfect smile etched into her lips was the only thing that kept Ellie going. Her anger melted like ice on hot pavement every time she saw the satisfied, wondrous look in Dina’s eyes. Her happiness was Ellie’s addiction.

Ellie had spent all day trying to appease her parents. There was a mutual understanding that remained silent between the three of them – there was an agreement that everyone was remorseful, and that Dina’s happiness was most important. And they all set out to put their grudges and dislikes aside, and they bonded off of making Dina happy.

Just after sundown, Abel and Jordana decided to take a walk through Jackson. They had secretly relayed to Ellie that they also wanted to give the girls space, as they’d inhabited their home all day without a break. They left in a good mood, and the girls were encompassed with the warm satisfaction of the day’s events.

“What a day,” Ellie sighed, exhaustions surging her senses as she let herself fall on her backside onto the couch.

Dina was quick to locate her, emerging from the office and heading right for her. Glossy lips upturned into a sweet smile, murky pools glowing with nothing but contentment. The creaks of the floorboards under Dina’s feet rang out, slowly coming to a halt. Ellie could sense her girlfriend behind the couch, and when two arms wrapped around her neck from just above the cushions behind her, she melted into the touch.

“You tired, my love?” Dina’s purr sent warmth into her bloodstream, carrying it throughout her body and igniting every part of her.

Ellie chuckled, taking in the wonderful smell on Dina’s sleeves, and the softness of her unmarked hands. “You know it.”

The soft hands ripped away gently, pulled away from her face only to be replaced with a force falling on the couch beside her, more weight falling to her left as another body dropped and leaned up against her. Instinctually, Ellie’s arm extended to engulf the smaller girl’s frame in the crook of her arm, pulling her close to her and finding nothing but pleasure when Dina’s feathery hair tickled her jawline and cheek when her head housed itself in the safety of her neck.

“Today was surreal,” Dina reflected, head thrown back against Ellie’s neck, eyes wandering the empty air, lost in thought.

“Surreal, how?”

“Having my parents in my life?” Her eyebrows raised at the ability to say that. “The fact that I can say they’re here. Everything seems… so normal.” She quickly stumbled on her sentences, trying to redefine the meaning. “Not that things weren’t normal when it was just the two of us. It’s like… I’m getting part of my childhood back.”

“Is this a bad thing?” Her soft voice was intertwined with curiosity and concern.

“No,” Dina’s answer was immediate. “No, not at all. The fact that my mom spent all day just... talking to me, and catching up… I haven’t seen her in years, El, and before that I never saw her in my own home.”

“No, I understand,” Ellie assured, pressing a light, loving kiss to her girlfriend’s temple.

“And just… watching them talk to you, and laugh with you, and enjoy your company…” She was barely above a whisper. “It was like a dream come true.”

“They’re really just trying to make things right,” Ellie assured her observantly.

“I know they are,” A sigh broke apart her sentences. “It’s gonna take a while for me to get over what those assholes did.” She muttered cholerically, face falling into a pout for a moment, only to be restored with a tranquil expression. Her soul seemed at ease. “But I’ll get over it.”

“Don’t rush yourself,” Another kiss was placed to Dina’s head. “They’re not going anywhere.”

Dina scoffed in disbelief. “Yeah, right. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“No,” Ellie insisted. “Trust me. They’re sticking around for a while.”

Her hands went up innocently, and a passive look fell as she closed her eyes. “As long as they’re out of her in a week, that’s fine by me.”

Ellie couldn’t help but chuckle. “You miss the peace and quiet already?”

“More than you’ll ever know,” Dina admitted with a sigh, a content look filling the air with love and admiration. “Thank you, El. For everything.”

The wind was knocked out of her from shock. She turned to her then, taken completely aback. “Thank you? For what?”

“For everything,” she repeated, voice breaking from the raw emotion and gratitude seeping out from her. “For being so patient with them, for dealing with me, for being _nice_ to them. Thank you for just… trying. And being here. For me, for our relationship, for my family. I really appreciate it.”

The words spilled from her lips trailed off shortly, leaving Ellie stunned. In no way was she expecting a show of gratitude, verbal of physical. It lit her nerves up and the wings flapped in her stomach for the thousandth time that day.

“Don’t thank me, babe,” she insisted sweetly. “I’m grateful for your parents. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have you.”

The statement physically shook Dina. Ellie watched all the wiring in her brain short-circuit and a sheet of red fell across her face. It was clear as day that Dina had no retaliation to her striking confession. The bashful smile was flustered and utterly adorable.

“Shut up, you fuckface,” Dina spurted, struggling to fight the blush that form and the flustered shake of her voice. Leaning forward, she placed a warm, gentle kiss against her lips, and let them linger there forcefully. She took a deep breath as she broke away from her girlfriend’s embrace. “You’re an idiot.”

“A sappy idiot,” Ellie corrected, her own blush spreading from the loving kiss Dina just pressed to her.

“Cuddle me,” Dina begged with a clingy, needy whine as she extended her arms around Ellie’s waist and laid into her.

Ellie couldn’t help but fall for her affectionate actions, and she pulled her as tight as she could and leaned back, head resting on the armrest of the couch and Dina laying across her chest and between her legs. The warmth that embodied them required no cover, no soft cotton or sheet, no deterrent from the cold October night.

Before she knew it, Dina was snoring lightly into her chest, eyes rested and face in complete tranquility. Ellie felt her eyes growing heavy and fighting consciousness as she admired the beautiful, smaller girl laying on her, breathing matching hers and heartbeat resonating against the chest of her girlfriend.

Nothing felt more peaceful than the moment that Ellie’s eyes closed and she drifted off, the sound of Dina’s breathing the last thing she heard before the darkness swept over her.

***

Ellie awoke to total darkness. There wasn’t a sound in the house that she could hear anywhere. Her eyes were crusted over and the tip of her nose was chilled. The robotic, red numbers were the only thing glowing from across the room that she could see. The time read 2:42am.

Something was different about the feeling around them, something off since they fell asleep on one another. Dina was still sound asleep, having barely moved since she slipped away. Her breathing was still heavy and whistling, the sound immediately bringing ease to her senses.

She started to drift off again, still lost in thought at what felt different.

It didn’t take long to notice. In her haziness, in the depth of her sleep, she felt a figure approaching them from the darkness. She couldn’t bring herself to react – she was too far in her sleepy state to react in fear.

Suddenly, a large covering fell over Dina and Ellie’s bodies, a blanket that smelled like their bedroom and felt like the softest of lambs. It was so familiar that she knew right away that it was the comforter pulled right from their bed. The figure had brought the comforter from the bedroom and placed it over the sleeping girls.

A woman’s voice hushed the soft sound of footsteps that creaked along the floor. She recognized it right away to be Dina’s mother.

She leaned down over the two girls, but just for a second as Ellie watched the shadow of her mother place gentle lips against her daughter’s forehead. With the smallest smack, she pulled away and raised herself back up. Ellie felt the footsteps moving, and she saw no shadow anymore.

Closing her eyes, she figured that the shadow of Jordana had made its way down the hall to the guest bedroom, but when she felt something warm touch her forehead, her whole body froze.

Jordana leaned down to Ellie’s half-asleep body, and pressed a soft, warm kiss against her forehead before disappearing into the dark once more.

“Sleep well, loves.”

The whisper had Ellie reeling back into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> This is another of the Tumblr requests I received for these two.
> 
> My tumblr handle is @lmontyy, and I take any and all requests, (so long as they're not unreasonable or crazy!) but I'm very easygoing when it comes to writing, and do enjoy writing for others. Any and all questions or inquiries may be directed to my inbox here or on tumblr. :)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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